Not A Surprise
by LollyAspen
Summary: It was a surprise to many and known to a few. Whether it started from childhood, Hogwarts, or after didn't seem to matter. People were going to talk. A series of reactions to the marriage of Draco Malfoy and Astoria Greengrass. Oneshot.
**When I started this, I thought it was going to be maybe three thousand words at most. Whoops. Sort of related, but not necessarily cannon compliant to my other fics. For anyone wondering, I do plan on finishing _More Than Enough_ , but I need to heavy edit. Cookies for reviews and much appreciate. **

**Disclaimer** : I own nothing.

The only person who wasn't surprised when Draco Malfoy ran off with the youngest Greengrass daughter was his mother. Narcissa Malfoy was certainly no fool, and if there was one thing she knew, it was her son. Long before anyone else knew, she did. She had pretended for his sake not to notice the signs, but they were there and had been there, by Narcissa's count, for years.

When Lady Greengrass came for tea and brought her two young daughters, Narcissa would watch Draco interact with Daphne and Astoria. One particular afternoon, Draco had bullied Daphne to the point of tears. Lady Greengrass had begun to rise and comfort her eldest when Narcissa held her arm out.

"Wait."

Within a manner of seconds, little Astoria, barely three years old, had pushed Draco hard enough to send him toppling to the floor, and he, of course, promptly had a fit. Astoria told her mother over and over as they left that day, "Mean to Daphy. Won't let him be mean to Daphy."

If anything, Narcissa learned two things: Astoria Greengrass was the first person to ever stand up to and push back against Draco Malfoy and she would be a force to reckon with one day. She couldn't imagine anyone better for her son.

* * *

Eamon Greengrass was only mildly surprised when he and his wife received the owl from Astoria. He had been expecting something like this to happen, but it came as a shock how soon it had. But then again, he, like Narcissa, had noticed early on.

When Daphne brought friends home during the summer, Astoria, who was still too young for Hogwarts, liked to tag along. Daphne didn't mind. She and her sister were closer and more loving than most pure-blood siblings, which was a cause of confusion amongst her classmates, especially one Draco Malfoy. He took it upon himself to taunt the youngest Greengrass girl unmercifully.

During the unbearably hot July season, Daphne and her friends decided to take a few brooms out of the Greengrass shed and get in some early practice before the start-of-term Quidditch tryouts. Astoria, of course, did not want to be excluded.

"Daph, let me have a go," she said as Daphne landed jerkily on the grass near the apple orchard.

"Stor, you know mum and da said you can't. You don't know how to fly."

"Please Daph, just one go," she pleaded. All the while Draco sniggered at the younger girl.

Eventually, Daphne gave in."Alright just once, but if you fall..."

Astoria cut her off as she grabbed Daphne's broom and mounted it. Draco watched as the young girl bit her lips in concentration. He was surprised to see her rise slowly in the air.

"Look Daph!" she yelled from about twenty feet off the ground. "I can do this!"

Then she began to rise faster. And faster. And faster until she was almost fifty feet off the ground and completely unsure of how to get down. Daphne was in panic, yelling for Astoria to hold on while Tracey Davis and Pansy Parkinson tried to calm her down. Draco rolled his eyes and mounted his broom with ease. He flew up to Astoria and yelled, "Jump on my broom!"

She looked at her him with an expression of fear and contempt. "Why!"

"Just do what I tell you!"

"No!"

She only climbed higher, with Draco tailing her. "Just jump!" he yelled.

She shook her head and gripped the handle of the broomstick, her head pounding from the pressure change. _She could do this_. She tilted the broom forward ever so slightly and she glided back down towards the ground, shakily streaking past Draco on her way down. She pulled out of the dive when she was about ten feet from the ground and coasted to a stop where she slid off into the grass. Daphne cried and laughed as she hugged Astoria.

"Never again!" she said, "I am never letting you do something so stupid again!"

Astoria smiled weakly and glanced over at Draco. He landed with ease and rolled his eyes.

"You should have listened to me."

Astoria smirked at him from Daphne's embrace. Unbeknownst to all of them, Eamon had witnessed the whole scene from the third floor parlor. He was both pleased and impressed.

* * *

Pomona Sprout was caught off guard by the announcement she saw in _Witch Weekly_ , but it was an easy recovery. She thought it over, and really, it made sense. She had taught Draco Malfoy Herbology for seven years. She, like several other professors, knew him better than he realized. But she knew Astoria Greengrass even better.

Everyone expected Astoria to be sorted into Slytherin. Both her parents had been Slytherins, her sister was in Slytherin, it was just a trait of the family. However, when the sorting hat touched her head, it loudly proclaimed, "HUFFLEPUFF!" to both the shock and rapture of nearly every person in the Great Hall. The Hufflepuff table roared as the little girl with the big green eyes took her spot at their table, beaming over at her sister seatedat the Slytherin table.

As Pomona became more acquainted with Astoria, she realized that Astoria was perhaps one of the most intense students Hufflepuff had probably ever seen. She was fiercely loyal to both her family, her friends, and her housemates. There was a touch of Slytherin in her that went to great lengths to do absolutely anything to protect those she loved. She was both selfless and selfish, and it perplexed Professor Sprout to no end.

But by the end of Astoria's first year, Pomona had grown fond of the girl. She even invited her to have tea one afternoon as exams approached. It was during their second cups that the subject of Daphne and her friends came up and Professor Sprout commented on the presence of Draco Malfoy amongst their friends.

"Surely you must not be too fond of him," she had said casually.

Astoria wasted no effort to explain. "Draco is my friend. He is a bad friend who really ought to be pushed into the Whomping Willow for a few minutes, but he is my friend. If you only plan to criticize him then I don't really have any more purpose in staying."

It was quite balls-y for a student to say such a thing to a teacher. In all her years of teaching, Pomona hadn't met a student who ever defended someone the way Astoria Greengrass did for Draco Malfoy.

* * *

Gregory Goyle scratched his head for a solid hour over the news. He'd heard it from Blaise, who heard it from Nott, who heard it from Pansy, who heard it from... Goyle lost track after that. One of his best mates had kidnapped the Greengrass girl and disappeared to God-knows-where, and he still couldn't figure out why.

Malfoy never liked the Greengrass girl. He didn't like anyone, and if he did take a liking to someone it was always for "politically purposes." Like snogging with Pansy or hanging around with Nott. Political. It had to do with the family expectations. Or at least, that was how Malfoy had always explained it to him.

But this Greengrass girl had really thrown him a loop. Not only was she a Greengrass (they were new money and Irish and Goyle had been raised to look at them as second class), but she was Astoria Greengrass. The weird girl. The Hufflepuff. The tag along brat who was annoying as hell.

He just couldn't figure it out.

* * *

Ron Weasley was more perplexed that Goyle even. He knew a little of Astoria Greengrass. He'd bumped into her a few times when he was out training on the Quidditch pitch during fifth year. She'd be out there too, armed with a Beater bat and whacking the Bludgers to kingdom come across the stadium. Usually, she'd scamper off once Ron came, but a few times she would stay and help him. She was a fair shot with the Quaffle, but he could tell that she was meant to be a Beater. She had all the ferocity of a Beater, not to mention a good aim. He'd almost say she could give Fred and George a run for their money.

The only problem Ron could openly see was her competitiveness. All Quidditch players liked to win, but this girl wouldn't give up until she had _won_. At everything. He saw in their practices, and later he saw it in the Slytherin versus Hufflepuff Quidditch match. Everyone thought Astoria would have her loyalties torn. It was her house against Daphne's house, but it was clear from the first minute of the game that Astoria was all Hufflepuff, all business.

Ron's favorite play was when she sent a Bludger at Malfoy. He had seen the Snitch, and she had whacked the Bludger so hard that he not only missed the Snitch but he lost a tooth. The rest of the game happened in a similar fashion, Astoria nearly killing everybody, but not killing them enough to get her kicked off the pitch. When Hufflepuff won that match, everyone knew it was because of their Beater, who would rather die than lose. Malfoy had glared daggers at Astoria, with a look that said, "You will pay for this."

And now, they were married.

He was at Hermione's flat in London when he brought it up to her. "I just don't see her, you know, _liking_ someone like him. I mean, she's a Hufflepuff and he's..."

Hermione just shrugged her shoulders.

* * *

Lucius Malfoy received the news while he was in Azakaban. The guards mentioned it to him only briefly. His son had married. Without even bothering to tell him. And he married the Greengrass brat.

Lucius Malfoy only had even been cordial to the Greengrasses. He didn't like their attitudes, their politics, their child-rearing, and especially their acceptance of Astoria. If anyone in his family had been sorted into Hufflepuff like that, they'd been blasted off the family tree and banished forever. But the Greengrass family ignored it, as if the problem wasn't there. It so fragrantly was. Astoria wore her house pride like a badge, and it made Lucius's lips curl every single time he happened to see her at dinners.

He even had made sure to warn his son early on. Before the Ministry fiasco, before that first stint in Azakaban, he'd pulled Draco aside during the Easter holidays. "You may associate with their eldest daughter, but never the youngest," he said, malice hidden behind a smile. "We are of a higher stock that her, and she is not our equal."

Draco had agreed whole-heartedly and assured his father that he thought the Greengrass girl was scum under his shoe.

But now he was married to her. They hadn't even had a proper ceremony from the sounds of it. None of the old traditions that he knew he had taught Draco. Just a quick trip to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, a few documents signed, and they were off.

It was disgraceful.

* * *

Roger Malone flat out refused to believe it. He had dated Astoria from the end of third year through fourth year, and he considered himself to be quite an expert in regards to her, never mind her sister and her best mates. As far as taste went, she would _never_ date someone like Malfoy, much less marry him. It just went against everything Roger knew about her.

When they had first started going out, Roger found it odd how much Astoria would hang around with the Slytherins. Daphne was one thing, but being chummy with kids with known Death Eater parents seemed to violate some moral Hufflepuff code. It was unnatural. Astoria knew how to get in their common room and would spend hours there when she was on break. She would go to sit with her sister and friends at lunch or dinner, not hesitating to bring someone back to the Hufflepuff table. Malfoy was not her preferred friend, but she would talk to him as nicely as she would anyone else.

Though he too was a Hufflepuff, Roger didn't like how nice Astoria was to everyone. He didn't like how big she would smile when just anyone walked in the room. He didn't like how she would leave him to go be with other people. Every once in a while, he wanted to feel like he was the only person who truly mattered to her.

Eventually he decided to bring it up to her, but in retrospect, he probably could have been more... tactful about it. They had just finished a good session of snogging in an unoccupied broom cupboard and were snuggling by the fire back in the Hufflepuff common room. Roger had prepared well for what he was going to say, but with all his preparation, he still came out looking like a git.

"So you don't like that I'm nice to people?" she said angrily.

"No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that I just want..."

"You want me to ditch all my friends and my family to spend more time with you?"

"No, no. Tor you're taking this the wrong way..."

"Oh no I understand Roger, I really do. You think I'm a piece of property that you get to stake your claim on and no one else can..."

"No! Tor that's not what I'm saying. I just wish you would..."

"Well I wish you would take your overtly large head and shove it up your arse." She had jumped up, eyes blazing.

"I. Am. Not. Your. Plaything," she said shortly and menacingly. "You don't get to tell me what to do."

With that she had stalked off.

Roger went to go find her later, and after fruitless hours of searching the castle, he had no luck. There was one moment where he thought he saw the back of her head on the seventh floor near the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, but when he looked closer, nothing was there. He also thought he heard the very faint sound of two people talking.

Astoria avoided him for several days, spending much of her time in the Slytherin common room, most likely with her sister. Roger wrote several apologies and bought her a huge box of chocolate frogs, but he still wasn't sure if it would be enough for her to forgive him.

The next time he saw Astoria, she smiled politely at him, said hello, and kept walking. Easy enough. Daphne followed right behind her, glaring daggers at Roger. Some people held onto grudges longer than others. Roger had felt relieved Astoria hadn't cursed him to bits, but at the same time, he had a sinking feeling in his stomach. While she may have forgiven him, he knew it was over. She looked at him now like she looked at everyone else. Nothing was going to change that.

* * *

Pansy Parkinson was pissed. Beyond pissed. She stayed up in her room for hours, rotating between crying and incinerating every picture, toy, piece of jewelry, and reminder of Draco Malfoy. Everyone in the Parkinson home just let her be. They knew she ought to get it out so she could move on.

Pansy had always prided herself on being the sole girlfriend of Draco Malfoy. Sure he may have stepped out on her a few times during fifth year, but that was how these things worked. She had seen it enough in her parents' marriage to know. As long as she remained the Alpha Female, the Girlfriend to Draco, it didn't really matter who else came along. At the end of the day, it was her going to the parties with Draco, dancing with Draco, receiving gifts from Draco, and knowing Draco. When they got married, as Pansy always assumed they would, she would be the one to bear him an heir to the Malfoy fortune while anyone else he happened to sleep with would just be around for one thing. She could even have a bit on the side. It was just how it worked. Until that stupid Greengrass girl threw a wrench in her plans.

Pansy had tolerated Daphne because Daphne could be just as catty as her, but Astoria was just... Infuriating. Pansy hated the Hufflepuffs more than the Gryffindors, and Astoria knew just how to get under her skin. Astoria was different than all the other pure-bloods. For one, she didn't seem to care too much about blood status. She had dated that Roger Malone guy, and everyone knew he was half-blood. Pansy found it disgusting. Astoria wasn't even that pretty.

There must have been something going on between them early on. It would explain why Draco broke up with her during sixth year. She thought it was just because he was so focused on the mission from the Dark Lord, but looking back, it had more to do with the annoying little fourth year than she realized.

Things had been going great with her and Draco, albeit he looked rather ill, and he wasn't as... lively as he used to be. Most of the time they spent together was her talking and him staring off at the fireplace or the wall. But still, things were great. Then out of the blue, he pulled her aside one day and said very plainly that he thought they should end things.

Of course Pansy didn't take it well, and she followed Draco around the castle hurling accusations and demanding explanations. Then he disappeared. Pansy continued to look for him for hours, her mascara running down her face. Eventually, she gave up and stomped back to the girls dormitory. She wasn't really sad about losing Draco, but more so of losing the status and the honor. She had worked so hard... And for what?

Still, she thought Draco would one day come to his senses and take her back. She saw him hanging around the little Greengrass girl during sixth and seventh year, but she never believed it would develop into... this.

All of Pansy's hard work, everything she had done... Now it was pointless.

* * *

Rohit Das was pleasantly surprised. During his and Astoria's fifth year, he had noticed she was spending more time with Draco Malfoy, but when he asked her about it, she firmly explained that they were just friends, nothing more. Rohit and Astoria had been best friends since the first night at Hogwarts. They had played Exploding Snap in the common room and swapped stories of India and Ireland. By the end of it, Astoria couldn't imagine life without Rohit. He was kind, he was funny, and most important, he was tolerant. He was one of the few Hufflepuffs that understood her loyalty to the Slytherins, and he was always polite to Daphne and Nott and the others. He would hang out with them when Astoria asked him to, but if the talk every turned to the Dark Lord, he would excuse himself.

Rohit was Muggle-born, not to mention a closeted homosexual (only Astoria knew), and when the Death Eaters stopped the Hogwarts Express during fifth year, he was petrified at what they would do to him. However, Astoria did some quick thinking. In ten seconds, she had disappeared and reappeared, dragging a bewildered Malfoy behind her, telling him that he owed her one. She plopped him down near Rohit.

"Malfoy, can you do a disillusionment charm?"

"Yeah."

She gestured to Rohit with her hands. "Today would be nice if you could."

Draco stared at her before tapping Rohit with his wand, his eyes never leaving Astoria. Astoria sat on the other side of Rohit.

"I'm sorry mate but we'll have to squish you just a little bit, you can't be seen." Astoria crushed Rohit into Draco's shoulder, creating a small distance between herself and Malfoy, but not too small. It looked as though they were just hanging out on the train.

When Amycus Carrow came in their compartment, he sneered at both of them.

"Well little Greengrass, where's your little Mudblood friends? Did Draco here finally grow a pair and do them in for you?"

Astoria stared at him coolly. "No Mudbloods here Carrow. If you think we're daft enough to be hiding them, you're more brainless than even I thought. And I'm a bloody Hufflepuff."

Amycus eyed her dangerously before he shut the compartment door, his footsteps echoing down the corridor. Astoria breathed a sigh of relief and she scooted out to give Rohit some breathing space.

"Just stay here until we get there. They may come back. And don't mention it Rohit," she said as he was opening his mouth. "You keep quiet. You'd do the same for me."

Astoria smiled past Rohit at Draco. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

Draco just nodded and avoided eye contact, but Rohit could have sworn there was a pink tinge in his cheeks. He never brought it up again, but Rohit was 75% certain that Draco Malfoy might have a crush on Astoria Greengrass.

* * *

Theodore Nott thought Malfoy was a bloody fool. He had noticed during seventh year, and he knew that if he noticed, the Carrows sure as hell had noticed too. If Malfoy hadn't gotten that stupid hero complex of his and tried to save the stupid girl, both of them would have been fine. But no...

Nott prided himself on being uninvolved. He stayed out of the Carrows' way, did detentions when they told him too, gave the correct answers in class when asked, and was a good boy. He was a Slytherin after all, and self preservation was a top priority. He thought the Dark Lord was a big git who needed to tone it down a few notches, but he wasn't going to be stupid and let anyone know that. Blaise, Daphne, and Tracey felt the same. Millie, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle were all for the Carrows' reign, volunteering up and down to curse second years and chase down Dumbledore's Army. Nott preferred the backseat, not openly choosing a side but just letting everyone assume. He was safer that way.

Malfoy had always struck him as a childish, crazed lunatic with a really large superiority complex. During sixth year, he saw Malfoy begin to crack for what seemed like the first time, and he'd felt bad for him. Seventh year, it was probably even worse. Malfoy looked dog tired all the time, with bags under his eyes. He had always been thin, but he grew to resemble a walking skeleton more than anything. Scars that had not been there before were more prominent than ever. More than once, Nott heard Draco wake up during the middle of the night screaming. He went to detentions more than anyone else did. The Carrows seemed to sense that he wasn't as keen to curse his fellow students as the other Slytherins were, and they loved taunting him as he performed the Cruciatus for hours on end.

Nott realized that he should have just told the Carrows that Malfoy was ill when they were summoned to detention one weekend after the Easter holidays. Malfoy had come back looking worse than ever, with a large scar that reached from his hairline down his cheek to his chin. He hands shook anytime he tried to write, and more than once, Nott heard him slip out of the dormitory at night and not return until morning. He worried that his mate was going to chuck himself off the Astronomy tower or something.

When the two of them arrived at detention in the dungeons, Alecto was waiting with four people chained to the wall. Two were Gryffindors, one was a Ravenclaw, and the other was a very familiar Hufflepuff. Astoria was staring straight ahead, and she ignored both Nott and Malfoy.

"Rotten, nasty students!" Alecto squealed. "Bad little bitty students who think they're better than us. Nott if you please."

Nott stood and said clearly, _"Crucio!"_

The first Gryffindor let out a scream that echoed throughout the dungeon. When Nott finally broke the spell, the Gryffindor lay crumpled on the floor, bleeding. Nott went on to the next student. He knew by this point that he was supposed to continue until Alecto told him to stop. He went through the Gryffindors and the Ravenclaw before Alecto spoke.

"Nicely done Nott, ten points to Slytherin. Now Draco," she said with a smile. "Your turn."

It only took a second for Nott to realize that this had been a set up. It wasn't a question of whether or not Astoria had broken a rule or smarted off to Alecto in class. It was only another way to get to Malfoy, whether he realized it or not.

Draco stood with his wand on Astoria. She stared back at him, her eyes betraying nothing. Nott silently willed Malfoy to just curse her and be done with it. Then the Carrows would leave her alone, and they'd leave Malfoy alone.

"No."

Nott stared him. Alecto frowned. "No? Come now Draco, she's a blood traitor. Make her pay for it."

"No," he said again. "Her blood's fine. Let her go."

"If you do not do it, then you will take her place," Alecto snarled. "And I will not be as forgiving as the Dark Lord has been."

Nott rolled his eyes, and before anyone could move, he cried, " _Crucio!_ "

Astoria screamed as the spell hit her. Nott wore a look of malice as she writhed and gasped under the pain. He lifted the curse and turned to Alecto.

"Happy? Or would you like me to do it again."

He fired the curse at Astoria again, making sure she screamed louder. Alecto laughed as she watched him.

"Well done Nott. Knew I liked you." She looked over Nott to Malfoy. "Watch yourself Baby Draco. It'll be you in their place next." Alecto slammed the dungeon door on her way out.

Nott released Astoria from the chains and lifted her off the ground. Blood was pouring out from a gash on her forehead and her breathing was feeble. He grabbed Malfoy by the collar and pulled him from the dungeons. Only after Astoria was safely in the hospital wing with a blood replenishing potion and Daphne at her side did Nott shove Malfoy into an abandoned classroom.

"What the _hell_ were you thinking! Why didn't you curse her!" he demanded.

"Because I couldn't do it Nott! What would you have done!" Malfoy yelled back.

"I would have bloody gave her the Cruciatus! Better that than what they're going to do to her now!"

"She's pure-blood just like us! They can't do much else!"

Nott slammed his fist on the table. "You idiot! They don't care about her! They care about you!"

Draco's eyes widened at the realization.

"Now whenever they want to hurt you or make you do something, they'll just grab her and use her as leverage. You put her into even more danger than before!" Nott continued, "I repeat, what the hell were you thinking!"

Draco opened his mouth but no words came out. In one fluid motion, he pointed his wand at a desk, which promptly rose and slammed into the wall. It fell in pieces to the floor. "I hate them!" he screamed. "I hate them!

"You think I love them? Think I love having them watching us all the time, waiting for an excuse?"

Malfoy sent another table flying. "How the hell did this happen Nott. What did we do to deserve this."

"A lot. We're just like them Malfoy. Slytherin to the core. I'd throw you under the bus in ten seconds if it meant I'd be safe. You'd do the same to me."

"Slytherin to the core," Malfoy said bitterly.

"But she isn't. She's not like us. Too much... Hufflepuff in her I guess."

Malfoy only stared at him before speaking. "She doesn't mean anything to me. She's not..."

"Doesn't matter. They think she is."

Malfoy paced across the classroom, wringing his hands. "So what do we do?"

"We have three options, none of which you'll like. Option one, I kill you now so you can't endanger anyone else with your stupidity. Two, we track down some Dumbledore's Army fools and have them take her to safety."

"What's option three?"

"You kill her. You'd be doing her a favor at this point."

In the end, Malfoy chose the second option, and with the help of Daphne, Astoria disappeared one evening with a sixth year Ravenclaw. Malfoy didn't know where she was, or if she was even in the school.

It was better that way.

* * *

Blaise had a notion. It took a while, but he was one of the few to see some things come full circle during the Battle of Hogwarts. He, Daphne, and Tracey were the only Slytherin seventh years who stayed to fight. Personally, he was done with this Dark Lord business and would much rather move on with a normal life. Plus, it would give him a better opportunity to keep an eye on Tracey.

He was glad he did because they had too many close calls. The Death Eaters were vicious, and more than once, the three of them almost were blasted to bits. Blaise knew the odds of all three of them making it were slim, but he thought he would be the one to go. That is, until Daphne was hit by a rogue curse and started bleeding everywhere.

"NO!"

Blaise raised his head to see Astoria come running down the corridor. She had snuck back in after the evacuation, only to see her sister fall. She ran to Daphne's side, cradling her body against her chest. "No Daph, you have to stay with me! Stay with me!"

He tried a few healing spells, but there was no point. Daphne took a few ragged breaths, but then she lay still, the life drained out of her. Blaise could only hear Astoria's pleas for Daphne to come back, to stay with her.

He only noticed the two Death Eaters moments before they opened fire.

"Tor get out of here!" he yelled, firing one spell after another.

But Astoria remained motionless, her body shielding Daphne's from further harm.

"Astoria, either help or go!" he yelled again.

Not a moment after, there was a cry of "STUPIFY!" and the Death Eater Blaise had been dueling fell. Malfoy came running into few, his nose bleeding and a look of fury on his face. He shot another spell at the other Death Eater, who dropped to the floor next to his companion.

"Get out of here," Draco spat at Blaise and Tracey, "Most of them are in the Great Hall. Go or get to Hogsmeade."

Blaise took Tracey's hand and pulled her around a corner. The last thing he saw was Malfoy lifting Astoria up. No words were exchanged between the two of them, but Malfoy held Astoria to his chest as she sobbed. Malfoy's eyes were closed, and if Blaise hadn't known better, he could have sworn Malfoy was crying too.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he said over and over to her.

Blaise had never known Malfoy to apologize. If it had been anyone but Astoria, he probably wouldn't have.

* * *

Healer Derwent from St. Mungo's barely knew Astoria, but he could see that she and Draco were good for each other. He had seen hundreds of witches and wizards, and this girl should have been no different than the rest of them.

He had been moved into a specialized ward for treating those with PTSD, and Astoria was just one among them. Draco Malfoy was another, though he was less responsive to treatment than she was. Part of the therapy required pulling memories from the patients and viewing them. The Healers would then discuss the things they saw and work with the patients to overcome the memories and emotions linked to their condition. It was grueling work, and each session often ended with wands being drawn or a mental breakdown. Draco Malfoy was one of the few who did both.

Astoria did neither. Healer Derwent could tell she just wanted to get out of there, but from her records, she was still too unstable. However, her case was one of the few he remained positive about. Astoria had been suffering both PTSD and depression when she was brought in by her parents, but she was recovering. Her eating habits were better, her mood was more consistent, and her memories were less clouded when they examined them.

He noticed in particular that she spent a lot of time with Draco Malfoy. During one of their sessions, he asked her about it.

"I notice you seem to prefer his company to others."

She shrugged.

"Are the two of you close?"

"He's my friend."

"Were you classmates?"

"No."

"So how did you become friends?"

"We just did."

He should have guessed that she really preferred to keep her current personal life to herself. His interview with Draco went similarly.

"How long have you been friends with Astoria?"

"We're not."

"She says you are."

Silence.

"You seem to spend a lot of time with her."

"She picked me. I didn't pick her."

Draco chose not respond to any more questions, and silently complied when Healer Derwent pulled out the Pensive. The memories they tackled that day were worse than before. After Draco left, Healer Derwent filled out the evaluation form for the day. "Bitter... Angry... Depressed... Mood swings... Suicidal..."

Healer Derwent only saw Draco during evaluations. What happened to Draco when he was off the clock remained a complete mystery. It took many long months. Astoria seemed to stick with him through it all. Healer Derwent talked to her a few times about release, but she refused to leave until Draco could go home too. "He's my friend," she always said when the Healer asked why she stayed. "I can't leave him."

Healer Derwent thought about the two of them after they were released, and truly the only conclusion he could come to was that Draco Malfoy was the luckiest bastard in the world to have found someone who loved him like Astoria Greengrass did.

* * *

Astoria asserted that there wasn't really any one moment that she knew. Sure, each of them had experienced their own private inklings before, but there wasn't a defining moment where she could say she knew without a doubt, "I love Draco Malfoy."

Astoria had never really hated Draco. She liked teasing him and beating him at Quidditch, but she never felt that she disliked him. If anything, she came to appreciate how he genuinely cared for her. He wasn't a Hufflepuff. He didn't love easily, and it was hard to make himself vulnerable like that. She could see how he was trying. It made her happy to be with him. He was rough and sharp-tongued and damaged to the core, but he didn't pretend to be anything he wasn't. He was a Slytherin, and she had always had a liking for Slytherins.

He'd only ever thought she was a bit annoying, but most blokes do tend to think that of girls younger than them. She was different than the girls he was used to. For years all he knew was the mannerisms of Slytherin girls, and Astoria just wasn't like that. She was kind and loving and all about giving, even when there was nothing in it for her. She was passionate about things and loved easily and forgave even easier. She smiled even when there seemed to be nothing to smile about, and she knew how to make the ordinary things more extraordinary. She defended rather than offended. It was so Hufflepuff, and he loved it.

It was only when Draco decided to stop everything and start over again that he realized he could love her. She seemed to understand him. In St. Mungo's, she knew when he wanted to talk and when he didn't. She knew how to help him eat when he was starving himself. She knew his hiding spots, and eventually, he learned hers. She knew how to pull him back from the nightmares and talk him through the night, and he learned how to do the same for her. She knew how to help him fall asleep, ten times better than any sleeping potion did, and he couldn't imagine any night without her by his side.

He could remember one afternoon when he was in a session and the memories had been worse than normal. Draco had gone to bed that night shaking, his mind flashing in between images of Charity Burbage being devoured by the Dark Lord's snake and Astoria covered in blood as Nott carried her to the hospital wing. Not two minutes passed before he felt her crawl under his sheets.

"I'm sorry it was bad," she whispered as she pressed her head to his chest.

"How could you tell?" he asked her.

"I just can," she answered. "Plus you kept dropping your fork at dinner. You only do that when it's bad."

He shivered again as she pressed a kiss to his neck. "I just want it to stop."

"Can I tell you something?" she asked.

He nodded.

"It's not going to stop. Those things are always going to be there. Instead, you learn to start living again." She snuggled closer to him. "You can't change what happened, but we can put you back together."

"I don't know if I can," he told her. "Not after."

"Of course you can Draco. You have me, and I never lose. Especially when it comes to you."

"Do you love me?" he asked her. He had been asking for nearly a week.

"Every single day."

She propped herself up on one arm, her other hand tracing the scars on Draco's face. She smiled at him. "Do you love me?"

"Yes."

"Then don't worry. We'll get through this."

He always seemed to tense up when she kissed him, like he was afraid, but this time, he relaxed and kissed back. "I promise you Draco," she murmured against his lips, "I will love you for all the mistakes."

* * *

Draco Malfoy and Astoria Greengrass were married on June 1st in 1999 inside the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The Wizengamot official who married them took maybe five minutes with the ceremony. There was only one witness, a Mr. Harry Potter who happened to be on the same floor when the couple Apparated in. Draco was nineteen. Astoria was seventeen. She wore a simple white Muggle dress, and he wore a green set of dress robes they'd picked up in Diagon Alley. She carried no flowers. They exchanged a set of simple rings and chose to not recite any vows. Astoria signed her name as "Astoria Malfoy."

With marriage license in hand, they were off, leaving behind the bored Wizengamot official and a very bemused Harry Potter. The newly married couple didn't go home to Malfoy Manor or the Greengrass estate. As to where they went, no one really seemed to know, and they preferred it that way.

They were the talk of the wizarding community for months. Of course there were rumors. Malfoy had put the Imperius on Astoria, Astoria had blackmailed him into marrying her, it was all because Astoria was pregnant, etc... But those who knew them best knew what it really boiled down to.

Draco Malfoy married Astoria Greengrass because he loved her.


End file.
